Get back, scalpers

Published: Autumn 2001

Angela Road has long been a favorite place for ticket scalpers to wave their inventories on football weekends, but if you see any scalpers crowding the curb this fall they’re breaking the law.

In August the South Bend Common Council passed an ordinance banning ticket selling within 50 feet of the streets bounding any property where an entertainment event is taking place. Violators risk a fine of $100 for the first offense, $250 for subsequent offenses.

The measure came primarily in response to complaints from homeowners in the neighborhoods surrounding the campus. They were tired of scalpers and customers tromping through their property and tying up traffic.

University officials say Notre Dame lent its support to the measure in the interest of public safety and neighborhood welfare — not, as one local sportswriter inferred, to try and stamp out the reselling of its tickets.

If nothing else, the banishment of scalpers from Angela, etc., could have a psychological benefit. As an attorney for the University acknowledged, it’s frustrating for alumni who often can get tickets to only one or two games a year via the lottery to drive onto campus and see scalpers with handfuls of them.